Art in Embassies congratulates Carrie Mae Weems for her recent award as a MacArthur Fellow! AIE artist Carrie Mae Weems is a photographer and video installation artist examining the complex and contradictory legacy of African American identity, class, and culture in the United States. Her intimate depictions of children, adults, and families in simple settings […]
Photographer and Video Artist Carrie Mae Weems was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2013. The Fellowship is a $625,000, no-strings-attached grant for individuals who have shown exceptional creativity in their work and the promise to do more. Learn more at http://www.macfound.org/fellows.
This kind of work reaches out on a real human level to people around the world and says… we have a huge commonality with you…” – Patrick Dougherty, High Jinx
The Spirit Connection: Chris Flisher Brings The Art Of Mandala To Cape Verde Through Art In Embassies Entering the hotel lobby I spotted Chris Flisher right away. Long grey flowing hair, laid-back composure. We are sitting down for a chat at a hotel in Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa, where Flisher has […]
Art in Embassies and the American Embassy in Praia, Cape Verde recently collaborated on an Artist Exchange with artist Chris Flisher of Boxborough, who writes the “Oh My Stars” column and “Turning of The Wheel” blog for The Beacon. Flisher visited Cape Verde from July 8 to July 15 to conduct workshops and presentations at […]
Diplomacy Through Art. An interview with Maria Pekala: Fifty years ago President John F. Kennedy formalized an Art in Embassies programme, which ever since then has found ways to facilitate exhibitions of American art around the world – mainly by displaying artworks in the U.S. Department’s diplomatic facilities throughout the world (including Embassies andAmbassadors’ residences). […]
AIE helps raise local artist profiles – When showing her work in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago at the Smithsonian Craft Show, textile artist Leah Evans’ work caught the eye of the U.S. ambassador to Rwanda. Now, one of Evans’ quilts hangs in the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, part of the Art […]
Edward Hopper was there. On the beach near the summer home of Solomont. And they, Susan and Alan Solomont , U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra since 2010, began his magnificent art collection with a photo of Joel Meyerowitz reflecting the quiet atmosphere of Hopper in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “The acquired in 1986 for seven […]
Members of the MICA community are internationally recognized among the Most dynamic artists In the world. In fact, more than 60 MICA faculty members and alumni have been commissioned by the U.S. Department of State’s Arts in Embassies program, which was inaugurated to enhance U.S. public diplomacy through cross-cultural dialogue centered around the visual arts […]
On November 29, five of the world’s most recognized artists-Cai Guo-Qiang, Jeff Koons, Shahzia Sikander, Kiki Smith, and Carrie Mae Weems-gathered to discuss art and diplomacy. This public event followed an open house with students from The Washington Ballet, The Corcoran ArtReach, the Levine School of Music, and the Washington of artist Nick Cave at […]
readartny.com – I have been inspired to write extensively about Peter D. Gerakaris’ work in the U.S. Art in Embassies (AIE) permanent collection, currently on exhibit at the Libreville Embassy in Gabon, Africa. This essay is meant as outreach to those who are unable to view Gerakaris’ tondos in situ. Furthermore, I seek to bring […]
Jenny Abell Dakar Commission -Healdsburg art lovers have been able to see work by Jenny Honnert Abell for almost seven years at Hammerfriar Gallery, but soon the Santa Rosa artist will have international exposure.As part of the State Department’s Art in Embassy Program, 10 of her works will be permanently installed in the new U.S. […]
The new US Ambassador to Zimbabwe has just embarked on his tour of duty here. Perhaps that is why it is fitting that the Art In Embassies (AIE) collection at his residence is appropriately themed Beginnings. Although he was last here a decade ago Ambassador Bruce Wharton is beginning his tenure as Washington’s man in […]
In my line of work, we often talk about the art of diplomacy as we try to make people’s lives a little better around the world. But, in fact, art is also a tool of diplomacy. It reaches beyond governments, past the conference rooms and presidential palaces, to help us connect with more people in […]
Charles Rivkin was strapped into a Parachute, and he didn’t let strong winds deter him as the helicopter hovered over Normandy. the occasion was a mass jump with the U.s. army’s Golden Knights to commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day, last June, and it was the ambassador’s first free fall. Some jumpers landed in trees […]
Art in Embassies Makes a Splash for 50th Anniversary – In his book “The First Resort of Kings,” Richard Arndt, a former cultural attaché with the State Department, stressed the power of art as a diplomatic tool to encourage cultural exchange despite language and other hurdles. “The arts have always had the advantage of transcending […]
Last month, Jenny Honnert Abell traveled to Dakar, Senegal, to experience the people and culture of that West African country. Next weekend, Saturday Jan. 19, she’s giving a talk about her experiences at Hammerfriar Gallery in Healdsburg, where her work is represented locally. This opportunity to travel in Senegal came as part of a commission […]
They say that art is the great international communicator no matter what language you speak. Art also is a symbol of free expression, and has represented the United States in its embassies and consulates around the world by putting our “best foot forward” in the spirit of creativity and cooperation among nations and showcasing some […]
